Linton Hall School is a Catholic coeducational day-school occupying a 120‑acre campus in Bristow, Virginia, in Prince William County about west of Washington, D.C. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington. History Early history Linton Hall School (formerly Linton Hall Military School) is located in Bristow, Virginia (Prince William County, Virginia,) on a portion of the 1,700 acres of land originally donated for the education of poor boys and girls by Sarah Elliot Linton (born 1822, died 1891,) who took the name of Sister Baptista upon becoming a Benedictine nun at age 22. Sarah Linton had previously inherited the land from her father, John Tyler Linton, who had died just two months before Sarah's birth. The Benedictine Fathers established St. Maurus Boys' School in 1893; the Benedictine Sisters established St. Edith's Academy for girls in 1894. St. Edith's opened with sixteen boarders and several day students.[1] After World War I, the enrollment of both schools began to decline. The Benedictine Fathers returned to their abbey in Belmont, North Carolina. In 1922, the Benedictine Sisters founded St. Gertrude High School for girls in Richmond, Virginia. The same year, St. Edith's, in Bristow, was converted to Linton Hall Military School, a military boarding school for boys ages 6–16. Linton Hall Military School Linton Hall began as a military school; however, the military program was discontinued for a few years. In 1932, the military program was re-established. As enrollment increased, the monastery building lacked adequate space for housing the academic and residential programs. In 1940, two floors of St. Ann's Guest House were converted into dorms. In 1946, the first floor of the main portion of the present building was completed and served as a residence hall for all the students. By 1951, the second and third floors and the classroom wing were completed. Physical education facilities included a gymnasium built in 1956, an outdoor swimming pool constructed in 1968, tennis courts, the Welker Memorial playground, various playing fields, and a playground purchased by the Parent School Guild. Daily life During the 1940s, students were permitted one designated weekend per month "provided scholastic standing and conduct warrant it." John Phillips (musician), who attended Linton Hall Military School from 1942 to 1946, and later gained fame as singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Mamas & the Papas, recalls in his autobiography that he "hated the place," even though he earned good